Combined posting-box and file



R.A R. CARDALL.

COMBINED POSTING BOX AND FILE.

APPLICATION FILED APH. 9. |918. 26 3 SHEETS-SHEET! INVENTOR P. /Q Cara/a,

s@ Nw @n @I .Il Il WWQM r ATTORNEY R. R. -CARDALL COMBINED POSTING Box AND FILE.

' APPLICATION FILED APR.9.1918. 1,356,851. 'Patented Oct. 26, '1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR RJ?. Carafa/A l l ATTORNEY R. R. CARDALL.

COMBINED PosT|NG Box AND FILE. APPLICATION FILED APR. 9, 19.18.

1,355,851, P Patna @mama 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

INVENTOR A?. @mwah/ BY I ATTORNEY UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE."

RICHARD R. CARDALL, OF SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO HARRY SHEPHERD, 0F SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH.

COMBINED POSTING-BOX AND FILE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 26, 1920.

Application filed April 9, 1918. Serial N0. 227,558.

dent of Salt Lake City, in the county of Salt Lake and the State of Utah, have invented a certain new and useful Combined Posting-Box and File, of which the following, together with the accompanying drawings, forms a full, clear, and exact specification, which will enable' others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a combined posting-box and file designed particularly'for use in invoicing 'and billing in connection with modern systems of mechanical bookkeeping and it is adapted for use in many different lines of business.

The principal objects are:

1. To produce a combined posting-box and file, which shall have few parts and which shall require few operations on the part of the user.

2. Be easily and quickly brought from filing position to posting position and vice versa.

3. Be adjustable to convenient positions for reference and for manipulation by the operator when used as a posting-box, therebv facilitating the handling of thepapers and making extremely rapid work possible."

4. Which shall have a large capacity, thus eliminating the use of at least two and sometimes more, cumbersome binders.

5. Have its principal working parts adiustable within wide limits. both as to convenience and capacity.

6. Be available when desired, as a file which may be secured under lock and key.

7. Be positive in its operation and not liable to get out of order.

8. Securely2 hold the papers in an upright position when used as a file and allow the papers to be easilv accessible for reference.

9. Take up a minimum of vault space.

10. Which shall be simple and economical y to manufacture.

In attaining the obiects specified, an elongated box is preferred, which may be made of wood or metal, the same being provided with hinged covers, a hinged end section and hinged side sections. sections may be hinged to the pivoted end section which allows the formingr of an angular depending apron, constituting the One of the coverl front of the box. The side section or sections may be hinged longitudinally in any convenient mannerand may be arranged to open out and drop down, making the interior of the box freely accessible to the user. On the inside of the box, a folding n rack is provided, which may be carried on small wheels and may be set at a right angle for filing and at various other angles for use in working position, so that a stack of papers may be placed therein and assume an angle across the edge which will facilitate the operators picking up one sheet at a time. This rack is movable longitudinally along the interior of the box and is so arranged that it may be securely clamped against the side of the box in any position in which it may be desired to hold the same. The features on which protection is desired are collectively grouped in the appended claims.

In the drawings, which illustrate merely one general embodiment of this invention:

Figure 1 represents a longitudinal vertical section, showing the interior working parts in elevation, the entire box being closed and used as a file.

Fig. 2 is similar to Fig. 1, with the exception that the box is shown opened out and lthe various parts thereof arranged in position ready for posting.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section on llne 3--3 lin Fig. l, looking in the direction of the an alternate position of some parts.

Figs. 6, 7, 8 and 9 are enlarged fragmentary views, showing various details. 1 y Fig. 10 is a perspective view of this device opened out in working position and in the process of being used as a posting-box.

Throughout the different views, the same parts are designated by the same reference numerals.

Referring to the drawings, 20 (Figs. 1 to 5) represents part of a metal boX of suitable dimensions. having the hinged cover sections 21 and 22, the hinged end section 23 and the hinged side section 24; the cover section 22 being hinged directly to the end section 23,

as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The cover section 2l and the side section 24 may be thrown open to the positions shown in Fig. 2, and the end section 23, together with the cover section 22, may be opened out in one operation to the position shown in the same fig-v ure. lThe end section may be supported in the open position by a small lbrace 25, pivoted at 26 and having the heel 27 adapted to hold it in position to rest on the stop 52 (Fig. 2). rllhe top section 22 is supported in the open position (Fig. 2) by the joined arm sections or links 2S, 29 and 3i), the latter being pivoted to the side of the box at 31. .at 32 is a tie rod for holding the unsupported portion of the side 24, the former at the same time providing a support for the arms 30. @n the inside of the box is the foldingI if-shaped raclr, which may be made of wood or metal, and consists of the rear portion or leaf and the front portion or leaf 34. The front portion 34 has slidably disposed thereon, the sectionl, vthus malring this part of the raclr extensible to the extreme capacity of the box. rThe leaves 33 and 34 are pivoted to each other by a rod or pin 35 and this rod may have, rotatably mounted thereon, the small wheels 36. T he two leaves of the if-shaped rack may be connected to each other by the side bar 37, pivoted to the leaf 33, while its other extremity passes through the guard 38 attached to the leaf 34u. The side bar 37 be ad-' justable in the guard 38 by means of one or more notchesV 37 as `shown in Fig. 2, which may engage the lower part of the guard. By means of the side bar 37, the leaf 34 may be set, relatively to the leaf 33, `atany de sired angle 'for allowing. the operator to conveniently piel; up the sheets, one at a time, from the stack 39 (Fig. 2). V

ln order to hold the rack securely in any certain position in the box, a long rod 40 is provided, extending longitudinally along the inside of the box, adjacent to the rach and having its ends turned off eccentrically to the axis of the rod, the' eccentric ends being journaled in the bearings 41 and 41n (Figs. 1 and 2). eccentric rod 40 has the rigidly mounted lever 42, and a short distance baclrtherefrom, is covered by a shield or curtain 43,v

preferably made of metal, the purpose of which will presently be made clear. The raclr leaf 33 has attached to one side thereof the friction pads 44, made of rubber or other suitable material and the rack portion 34a has the friction pads 45, all of these friction pads being so arranged that they will bear on the inside surface of the wall 2Ou which forms one side ofthe box. The position of the wall 20"L is indicated bythe dash line in Fig. 2, and while this wall is hinged, the normal position of the hingedportion isalways as indicated in Figs. 3 and 4, the drop At its forward end, thefeature being provided only for use in special cases when papers are to be taken out of the rack from that side, at such times, however, the lower friction Ypad is sufficient to hold the rack in place.

Vhen the raclr is in the free position in the box, the rod 40 with its operating lever 42, is in the position indicated in Fig. 3 and shown enlarged in Fig. G. lVhen it is desired to lock the rack in any certain position, for instance, that shown in Fig. 2, the lever 42 is brought down into the position indicatedV in Fig. 4 and shown in enlarged detail in Fig. 7. This action causes the eccentric rod 40 to bear against the shield 43, moving the latter against the rack and causing Vthe rack to be wedged against the side 2i a and to take its bearing on the anti-friction pads 44 and .45, thereby holding the rack securely in position. It will be noticed that the shield 43 serves the purpose of preventing the rod 40 from touching the sides of the rack, directly, as the frictional engagement thereof would cause its further travel to pull down the side of the rack contacted, thus distorting it and making it unfit for use. rIhe lever 42 has the heel 42, which limits its downward travel.

lhen the box is used as a file, the stack of papers being set vertically on edge, as shown in Fig. 1, it is desirable to have an adjustable follower 46, which may be loclred in position against the papers, according to the varying quantities thereof contained in the le. The follower 46 may be moved longitudinally along the rack by means of the guides 47 (Figs. 8 and 9), xed to the bottoni of the follower and which slid-ably engage the guide-plate 48, the latter being fixed to the extensible section `34 of the rack. The follower 46 has the slot r49 preferably cut in the lower corner thereof, which is .adapted to allow the eccentric 50 to extend .through the same when the eccentric is brought to the'lower or clamping position indicated by the dotted4 lines750n in Fig. y The eccentric 50 is pivoted in the bearings 51 vand is adaptedto clampthe guides47 tight up against the plate 48. When -it is desired to refer to any papers contained in the file, it is only `necessary to open the cover sections 21 and 22. When the .cover section `22 is thus opened, the folding arms 29 and 30 `will be caused to assume the positionshown in Fig. 5. The various parts of the` box may be securely held in their vclosed positions by suitably arranged spring catches (not shown) andthe cover sections 21 and 22 may be provided with any suitably arranged lock .(not shown).

In using this device, its service `as a file is selfeeivident by reference` to Fig. 1. In using it as a posting-box, the end section 23, with itshinged cover section 22, yis simply opened out in one operation to the position shown in Fig. 2, without the necessity of making any adjustments, the brace 25 falling out by gravity to its proper position and automati cally taking its bearing on the stop 52. Next, the eccentric rod, which is assumed to have been clamped against themovable rack inthe position shown in Fig. l, is loosened, the rack is then pulled along on its wheels and tilted upwardly until the stack of paper will remain in position by gravity, thereupon the rack is temporarily clamped in position by means of the eccentric rod, after which the follower 46 is removed entirely, and the eccentric rod again loosened, the user meanwhile holding the rack with one hand. Thereupon the rack is adjusted to the desired place and inclination, being held by one hand of the user, while with the other hand the lever 4 2 is thrown down into the position where the rack is clamped tightly into place and the posting-box is ready for use.

The use ci the posting-box will be selfevident by reference to Fig. l0, which shows this device constructed of wood and the hand o a user in the act Aot taking the sheets vout of the il-shaped rack for placing in the billing` machine. After he sheets are taken out of the billing machine, they are put into the depending fl-shaped apron formed by the parts 9.2 and 23, the arms 28, 29 and 30 forming side guards for the accumulating stack of papers. Y

In use, the boxl may be set on a small stand to the right of the operator and within easy reach of the seat at the billing machine.

In order to prevent the iile from tipping over, as the weight in the apron increases, j' a clip 53, (Figs. 2 and l0) is provided,

which may project through a small opening in the back of the box as shown, thereby .holding down the rear end of the box.

Ihile a satisfactory embodiment of this invention is herein described and illustrated, the details thereof are not necessarily in the preferred form.

What I claim is:

l. In a combined posting-box and file, the combination with an open main body portion, of movable members adapted to allow the closing of the said body portion, a part oi the said movable members being adapted to form a receptive apron, and means for supporting the said apron in an opened-out position.

'i 2. In a combined posting-box and file, the combination with a main body portion,'of a pivoted end section, pivoted side section and pivoted top sections, adapted to be opened out Jr'or exposing the interior of the said.

body portion to convenient access; a suitable rack adapted to hold stacked papers, the said rack being movably disposed in the said body portion; and means for holding the said rack in xed positions.

3. In a combined posting-box and le, the combination with a main body portion, com prising an end, a side and a bottom, of a hinged end section, a hinged side section and hinged top sections, the said hinged end section and one of the top sections being adapted, together, to form a V-shaped apron, and means for supporting the V shaped apron.

el. In a combined posting-box and file, th combination with a main body portion having a side section, an end section and top sections adapted to be opened out `for the purpose of exposing the interior of the said body portion, the said end section and the said top section being adapted to form a support for holding a stack of papers; of

a rack movably disposed in the interior of f thesaid body portion, and means ior holding the said rack iixedly in convenient operatin positions.

5. n a combined posting-box and file, the combination with an open body portion, of movable sections adapted to forma closure for said body portion, means for adjustably supporting a stack of papers inside the said body portion and a part of the said movable sections being adapted for supporting a second'stack of papers exteriorly adjacent to the said main body portion.

G. In a combined posting-box and tile, the combination with a main body portion, ot a movable apron depending therefrom adapted to hold a stack of papers; and means for adjustably holding a staclr oi papers inside the said main body portion.

7; In a combined posting-box and file, the

coinbination with a main body portion, or a movable apron depending therefrom and adapted to hold a stack of papers; means tor adjustably holding a stack ot papers on the interior of the said body portion, and mem; bers, which in conjunction with the said body portion and the said apron, will allow the formation of a tightly closed box.

8. In a posting-box, the combination with a main body portion, oi a depending apron adapted to hold a stack of papers, and means for, adjustably holding stack oi papers on the inside of the said body portion.

9. In a posting-box, the combination with a main body portion, of a movable apron depending theretrom adapted to hold a stack of papers, and means for holding a stack oi'papers on the inside of the said body portion.

10. In a posting-box, the combination with a main body portion, of a movable apron depending therefrom, means for supporting Vthe said apron, a Jr'ol'ding rack adapted to hold papers movably disposed inside the said body portion, and means for rigidly holding the said rack in any convenient Working position.

1l. In a posting-box, the combination with a main body portion, or' a movable apron depending therefrom, means for supporting the said apron, a folding rack adapted to hold papers, movably disposed inside the said body portion, and a suitably supported rod extending longitudinally along the inside of one Wall or" the said body portion, the said rod being adapted to move eccentrically in its bearings for the purpose of clamping the rack in suitable positions for convenient access.

l2. In a combined posting-box and tile, the combination with a main body portion, of a pivoted end section and pivoted top section adapted to form an apron, a movable rack suitably disposed in the said body portion, a movable `rod extending along the inside of the said body portion, the said rod being eccentrically mounted in its bearings and adapted for clamping the said rack in any suitable position.

13. In a file, the combination with a box portion, of an adjustable rack, moi-*ably disposed inside the said box, and an eccentrically mounted rod for the purpose of clamping the said rack in any suitable position in the said box. l 1

14;. 4In a nie, the combination With a movable end section adapted to form an apron for the purpose of holding a vstack of paper, of a box having a 4movable rack suitably disposed therein, and an eccentrically mounted rod adapted to clamp the said rack firmly in any suitable position.

15. ln a combined posting-box and file, the combination with va'box portion having hinged top, side and end sections, an end section and a top section thereof being adapted to `form a depending apron; pivoted arms extending outwardly from the said -box portion above the said depending apron and links for supporting the said apron from the said projecting arms.

16. In a combined -posting-box and file, having a main box portion of a V-shaped rack, movable along the interior of the said box` portion, friction pads `on one edge of the said rack, and means for clamping the said rack in such a manner that thesaid friction pads Will bear tightly against a surface of the said box portion. 17. In a combined posting-box and file, having a main box portion, of a folding V- shaped rack, a pivoted side bar adapted to hold `the leaf portions of the V-shaped rack in adjusted relation to each other, the said rack being movable along the interior of the said box portion; friction pads suitably disposed on the said rack for the purpose of bearing against a surface of the said box portion, and an eccentrically mounted rod having a lever, for `the purpose of clamping the said rack against the said suriace of the box portion.

18. In a combined posting-box and .le, the combination With a main body portion, of an adjustable V-'shaped 4rack comprising pivoted .leafportiona the said rack .being movably disposed inside the said body portion; an eccentrically mounted rack clamping rod having a lever, movably disposed in i the lsaid body portion, and a suitable shield depending over the said eccentric rod in such a manner that the surface of the said rod will not contact directly, the said V- shaped rack. Y

AIn `testimony that `this invention is claimed as my own, I affix my signature hereto in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

RICHARD R. GARDALL.

' 1V itnesses H.. SHEPHERD, l). H, MALLINCKRODT. 

